I-Impact Group president Claudio Pannunzio said financial advisers come to his communications consultancy looking for assistance in improving the way they articulate and convey messages.
Mr Pannunzio said in order to achieve this advisers first need to know their audience.
“Research as much as possible about the organisation or event and the type of audience that will be addressed,” he said.
He also believes it is important to understand the rules of engagement.
Speakers need to find out well ahead of time whether they are allowed to use visuals or distribute handouts, Mr Pannunzio said, and they also need to consider the time allocated to each presentation and if it should include time for a Q&A session.
Practising technology skills is another vital part of preparation, he said.
“At home or the office, advisers should practise connecting computer cables, opening and closing flash drives, pulling up Powerpoint files on the laptop screen etc,” he said.
Advisers need to be flexible in allowing for reduced time for the presentation and should also allow extra time for arriving at the event, Mr Pannunzio said.
The most important aspect of any presentation is to communicate like a human being. Having trained executives up to Executive Chairman level, I know that people will be more receptive if you are natural. You can respect the organisation that you represent and the information you’re imparting and still project who you are.
Yes, among other very important things that need to be considered when preparing for an effective presentation, audience analysis is key to delivering a high impact and memorable presentation. You want your audience to walk away knowing who you are and what you can do for them.